Radio antenna



1955 s. .1. SPECTOR ET AL RADIO ANTENNA Filed NOV. 17, 1953 rvdrf g fi mi N], E

wa w WM United States Patent RADIO ANTENNA Application November 17, 1953, Serial No. 392,586 3 Claims. (Cl. 174138) Samuel J. Specter and The invention herein disclosed relates to antennas of the adjustablte, collapsible type used on motor vehicles.

Objects of the invention are to provide such a device which can be quickly and easily installed on the fender or body structure of the car, with only a single fastening means, and which may be rigidly secured and held in desired position.

Particular objects of the invention are to provide good conductivity throughout, that is, through the telescopic, collapsible and extensible portions of the device and through the base or mounting portions to the cable connection extending to the radio set, and to fully and completely insulate these parts from the mounting structure, such as the fender or body of the car.

Further special objects are to accomplish these results in a simple, small size design of rugged structure, well adapted to withstand vibration and shock.

Other important objects are to provide an antenna of the characteristics outlined which can be made up and sold at low cost.

Other desirable objects attained by the invention are set forth or will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrates a practical commercial embodiment of the invention. Structure, however, may be modified and changed as regards the immediate illustration, all within the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. 1 in the drawing is a broken side elevation of the antenna as installed on a fender or other such structure;

Fig. 2 is a similar View on a larger scale, partly in section to show the frictional holding and conducting strips within the antenna tubes;

Fig. 3 is a broken perspective view illustrating one of the antenna strips;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged crosssectional detail on substantially the plane of line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a broken sectional view on a further enlarged scale, of the base portion of the device, illustrating conducting and insulating details.

The antenna illustrated is in three collapsible sections, a rod 7 sliding in intermediate tube 8 and the latter sliding in fixed base tube 9 mounted on ball segment 10 held by through screw 11 to the companion ball segment 12.

Fig. 5 shows these parts assembled by a stud 13 embedded in and projecting from ball segment 1i] and having the lower end of outermost tube 9 forced over the projecting portion of the stud and crimped at 14 into annularly grooved portions 15 of the stud. For further security the surface of the stud is shown knurled at 16 to interlock it in the ball segment and to provide a permanent interlock between the stud and that portion of the tube engaged thereover.

Good conductivity between the sliding tube sections and between the outer tube section 8 and rod extension 7 is effected by the interposition of thin, V-folded, flexible spring strips 17, 18 between the tubes and between the intermediate tube and rod, respectively.

These V-shaped, trough-like conductor strips may be of thin brass or the like, folded to fit Within the outer tube and to receive and embrace opposite sides of the inner tube or rod, substantially as indicated in Fig. 4, and the sides of the folded strips may be indented oppositely or in alternative arrangement, as indicated at 19, for frictional gripping and electric conducting purposes.

The V-shaped trough in the conductor strips allows for free sliding movement of the flattened portions 20, 21 usually provided at the inner ends of the sliding tube and rod sections to limit sliding movement and prevent disassembly of the sections.

These interposed trough-like conductor strips, in addition to affording more or less continuous conductivity between the parts, impose a degree of desirable friction for holding these parts in diflerent selected positions of extension or contraction.

The meeting faces of the ball segments 1i) and 12 are indicated as radially fluted at 22, Fig. 5, so as to hold in. various positions of angular adjustment relative to the center clamping screw 11.

The stationary ball segment 12 is shown as having a widened circular base 23 seating in a resilient insulating mounting washer 24 which is clamped against the fender or other supporting element 25.

A single fastening screw 26 serves to secure the device in mounted relation on the supporting structure, this screw having a head at the upper end seating on a shoulder 27 in the base 23 beneath and clear of the ball segment 10, and engaging a screw sleeve 28 crimped at opposite ends, at 29, within a ceramic or equivalent hard insulating sleeve 30. The latter is shown secured on a seat 31 within a sleeve 32, by a flange 33 turned in at the end of this sleeve.

Sleeve 32 is shown provided with an outstanding flange 34 serving as an abutment shoulder for the downturned toothed side segments 35 of a washer 36 loosely straddling the sleeve and having at its ends upstruck lugs 37 engageable with the underside of the supporting member 25.

The opening through the abutment washer may be widened or extended as a slot parallel with the downturned sides 35, as indicated at 38, Fig. 5, so that when these. side portions are flattened down the washer may be passed through an opening 39 in the support which can be spanned by the projections 37 at the diametrically opposite edges of the washer.

The segmental formation of these side portions enables the abutment washer to be adjusted to difierent inclinations to fit the curvature of the fender or other supporting element, and the teeth or serrations in these edge portions enables the washer to hold in different inclined relations against the flange 34 which may be more or less cupped to accommodate the flange segments of the washer.

A further important feature of the center securing screw 26 is that it is provided with a reduced end extension 40 to form a terminal for engagement by the cable leading to the radio set.

Fig. 5 shows the insulated cable 41 as having a sleeve 42 crimped over the end of the same, containing a tubular ceramic or like insulator 43 held in place by a turned-in end flange 44 and carrying a central tubular socket sleeve 45 engageable over the pin terminal 40 and containing the spring pressed contact 46 engageable with the end of the pin terminal and directly connected with the cable conductor 47.

The sleeve 42 on the end of the cable is shown surrounded by a screw ferrule 48 engageable with the screw threaded outer end portion 49 of the abutment sleeve 32 and operable against an annular shoulder 50 on the sleeve 42 to secure the cable in mechanically and electrically connected relation to the antenna.

All parts of the assembly are thus positively and firmly connected, electrical continuity is assured and maintained and the electrical elements of the combination are firmly and positively connected to avoid resistance losses and radio disturbances.

The structure is relatively simple, the parts are few in number and the Whole construction is small and compact, readily applicable to different locations on motor vehicles. A single fastening enables the device to be secured in different angularly directed relations and this fastening provides a direct, positive means for coupling the antenna to the radio set. The extensible arm of the antenna can be shortened or lengthened as desired, and can be firmly secured in upright or difierent inclined positions, and in all such relations the conductivity and proper insulation of parts in assured.

What is claimed is:

1. Radio antenna comprising companion ball segments pivotally connected on a diametrical axis, one of said ball segments having an extended base with a screw head seat at the center of the same, the other ball segment having an antenna element projecting therefrom, an insulating pad for supporting the base segment on one side of a supporting structure, a clamp element engageable with the opposite side of the supporting structure, an abutment sleeve opposed to and at the opposite side of the supporting structure from said base segment and having an abutment flange for forcing said clamp element into clamping engagement with the supporting structure, an insulated screw seat in said abutment sleeve, a screw engaged with said insulated screw seat and having a head bearing on said screw head seat in said base segment and thereby adapted to force said abutment sleeve into engagement with said clamp element, a radio transmission cable and means for coupling the end of said cable to the end of said abutment sleeve and including a separable electrical connection between said cable and the end of said screw.

2. Radio antenna comprising companion ball segments pivotally connected on a diametrical axis, one of said ball segments having an extended base with a screw head seat at the center of the same, the other ball segment having an antenna element projecting therefrom, an insulating pad for supporting the base segment on a supporting structure, a clamp element engageable with the opposite face of a supporting structure, an abutment sleeve for forcing said clamp element into clamping engagement with the supporting structure, an insulated screw seat in said abutment sleeve, a screw engaged with said insulated screw seat and having a head bearing on said screw head seat in said base segment and thereby adapted to force said abutment sleeve into engagement with said clamp element, a radio transmission cable and means for coupling the end of said cable to the end of said abutment sleeve and including a separable electrical connection between said cable and the end of said screw, said clamp element being in the form of a Washer loosely surrounding the abutment sleeve and having opposite edge portions spaced in substantially parallel relation at opposite sides of said sleeve, reducing the over-all width of the washer sufiiciently for passage through an opening in the supporting structure which can be spanned by full diameter opposite edge portions of the washer.

3. Radio antenna comprising pivotally connected companion ball segments, one having an extended base for fixed mounting over an opening in a supporting panel and the other having a projecting antenna element and angu larly adjustable over the extended base portion of said fixed segment, a pivot screw removably securing said angularly adjustable segment over said fixedly mounted segment and said latter segment having a screw head seat at the center of the same positioned to be uncovered when the adjustable segment is removed and to be covered by the adjustable segment when said adjustable segment is secured by said screw in its adjusted relation on the fixed segment, an insulating pad on which the fixed segment is secured in insulated relation on the supporting panel, a clamp element engageable with the opposite side of the supporting panel, an abutment sleeve opposed to and at the opposite side of the supporting panel from said base segment and having an abutment fiange engageable with said clamp element for forcing said clamp element into clamping engagement with the supporting panel, an insulated screw seat in said abutment sleeve, a screw engaged with said insulated screw seat and having a head bearing on said screw heat seat in said base segment and accessible for securing the radio antenna in place on the panel only when said adjustable segment is removed from said base segment, a radio transmission cable and means for removably coupling the end of said cable to the end of said abutment sleeve and including a separable electrical connection between the end of the cable and the end of said last mentioned securing screw.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,179,415 Mace Nov. 7, 1939 2,497,687 Pickett et a1 Feb. 14, 1950 2,514,167 Scott July 4, 1950 2,536,733 Finke et al Ian. 2, 1951 

